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Aftermarket Engineering at its Finest

Brand new OE parts fill a completely different need than Aftermarket parts. What advantages does an aftermarket engineering team have over an OEM, and what solutions have IPD engineered and provided to the heavy-duty parts industry?

Recently we interviewed Vince Barbarie, Senior Director of Engineering, and Bill Mirth, the Director of Sales at IPD.

OEM Manufacturing vs. Aftermarket Remanufacturing

When you’re designing a new part for a new engine, every engine is going to be the same as it rolls off the assembly line. The parts you manufacture are going to be assembled in a controlled environment with exact specifications.

However, aftermarket parts are different than new OEM parts because those diesel engines are not going to be exactly the same as they were when they were originally built. Years of use change the specifications of the diesel engine. Also, the diesel engine is going to be remanufactured with different tools and in a dynamic environment.

Because an aftermarket engineering team produces replacement parts, they get to see where OEM parts generally fail, which helps them to be able to improve and make their parts better. They also have to take the wider range of tolerances into account and the environments that diesel engines are rebuilt in.

All the Parts You Need

Imagine this, you’re in the middle of a rebuild, and you realize you don’t have the right part, you have to stop what you’re doing, scramble to find the missing part from local suppliers, and then wait for the part to arrive.

Every hour that you’re waiting for that part to arrive costs you money, you have a dedicated bay in the shop to do that engine rebuild so you can’t use it to do other work, and it’s costing your customer money because of extended downtime. All around this is a bad situation.

With IPD’s kits, like the new DD15 Engine Rebuild Kit, this solves the problem of forgetting to order one of the small essential parts. This kit ensures that you have everything you need to do the rebuild, all in one convenient package. Saving you, and your customers time and money.

Aftermarket Parts Engineering

Of course, it does take a lot of time and effort to engineer aftermarket parts for new engines coming out. What goes into creating solutions like the DD15 kit?

“It starts with the customer base; the customer base will start asking about a particular engine… In the past, an engine would have to be out in the market for 15-years before the rebuild parts would be ready for the aftermarket. Now it’s about 7-10 years. With the DD15, it came out in 2010, and we had it out in 2019, about 9 years… Once we have all the information, that’s where Vince (and our engineering team) takes over and brings that idea to life,” said Bill Mirth, Director of Sales at IPD.

Asking the customers what they need in a kit, ensures IPD has the best information possible to then provide the market with the best solutions.

From a product development perspective, the engineering department at IPD starts with OEM specs, OE parts, and combines vital feedback from their rebuilders, and what they know about the engine.

“By researching the specs, going over the parts with a fine-toothed comb, and taking the parts apart, we are able to not only manufacture an aftermarket part that looks like the OEM part but to build it to the same or greater quality, sometimes exceeding OEM specifications. Thus, being able to give their customers premium aftermarket parts,” said Vince Barbarie, Senior Director of Engineering at IPD.

IPD is an innovative company and they are continuously bringing great products to the aftermarket.

For example, Steel Liners for ISX, Cryo-treated head bolts, and new high-quality water pumps. Also, they have released IPD Extra, which gives them a range of Caterpillar coverage for many different engines.

They continue to be excellent examples of aftermarket engineering.


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Author: Taron H.

Taron is the Marketing Manager at The Heavy-Duty Parts Report.

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